“Accuracy wins” is the mantra at GoX Studio, where a small group of engineers has accomplished what was previously impossible.

After two years of development and testing under the supervision of U.S. Army scientists, GoX Studio has developed an algorithm that’s on average 11.7 times more accurate than leading consumer fitness trackers. So accurate, in fact, that GoX Studio’s simple consumer app nearly matches results from a Cosmed VO2 mask test: the clinical standard for measuring metabolism and calories burned when attached to a $10,000 machine.

“We’re providing lab-accurate results without the lab," said GoX Studio CEO and Co-Founder Joe Hitt. “We’ve discovered the science that will drive the next generation of fitness trackers. Our mission is to cure complaints about tracking accuracy.”

Accuracy has emerged as a sore spot for fitness trackers. Numerous companies have faced class-action lawsuits over accuracy concerns and a recent 2016 “The State of Wearables Today” Survey (conducted Valencell and MEMS & Sensor Industry Group) found accuracy ranked as the most important feature of a fitness wearable (63%). Lack of accuracy also ranked as the second highest reason consumers stopped wearing their product (29%).

GoX Studio’s patent-pending algorithm was developed over two years in partnership with the U.S. government. Fortunately for consumers, this partnership provides a provision that allows GoX Studio to use or license the technology commercially in apps or products.

“The military is interested in developing this technology to maximize the performance of our soldiers,” said Hitt, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who once served as the director of both the Aerospace Systems and Thermodynamics Group and the Mechanical Engineering Research Center at the United States Military Academy before starting GoX Studio. “I also want to see it get on the wrists and feet of consumers. Accuracy helps everyone make more informed health decisions.”

GoX Studio plans to first pursue licensing strategies for their algorithm to find companies that want to improve the accuracy of their devices.

“We’ve looked at all the leading company’s devices,” says Dr. Bruce Floersheim, Chief Operations Officer and Co-founder of GoX Studio. “We can literally give any one of them a seven to fifteen-fold boost in accuracy in a matter of days.”

If GoX Studio is unable to find a suitable licensing partner or partners, they plan to raise venture capital to bring all their products to market.

GoX Studio is putting the finishing touches on a downloadable consumer app that works with any consumer heart-rate monitor. And they have working prototypes for a patented insole that Army-testing confirms provides accuracy within 95% of a clinical VO2 test.

GoX Studio’s insole is also the first fitness tracker that measures propulsive power and metabolic efficiency, two metrics which can greatly improve the performance of runners and prevent injury.

Testing of GoX Studio’s technology occurred under the supervision of U.S. Army Scientists in all kinds of conditions including different loads and at different temperatures. Testing involved twenty military veterans and fifteen recreational athletes. The tests were evenly split across men and women ranging in age from 18 to 60. Over 200 tests found GoX Studio’s algorithm provides accuracy within 95% of a clinical VO2 mask test.

Further testing across five subjects revealed that GoX Studio was 7.6 times more accurate than the Apple Watch for calories burned, 12.3 times more accurate than a Fitbit Surge, and 15.1 times more accurate than the Garmin Fenix 3.

Multiple consumer and university tests including results published in the peer-review American Medical Association's journal of internal medicine have already confirmed that current consumer devices have yet to approach the accuracy of a clinical VO2 test — results that GoX Studio is nearly achieving.

“Even though we’re within 5% accuracy of the clinical standard, we’re developing further enhancements that learn and customize the algorithm to evolve with a person’s individual fitness level," says Joe Hitt. "Soon, we may even be able to match the accuracy of a $10,000 machine.”

According to Parks Associates, the fitness tracker industry is set to almost triple from one valued at $2 billion in 2014, to $5.4 billion by 2019. For more information, consumers and licensing partners should visit GoXStudio.com

In the attached diagram, the product that matches the clinical VO2 mask test for calories burned is the most accurate. Notice how GoX Studio nearly matches a clinical mask test for calories burned.

About GoX Studio
At GoX Studio, accuracy wins. We discover technology that drives the next generation of fitness tracking devices. Our technology has broad uses to improve the performance and health of recreational and professional athletes, the elderly, and even soldiers and rescue workers in the field.

GoX Studio was co-founded by Joe Hitt and Bruce Floersheim, two service-disabled Army officers who went on to teach at the U.S. Military Academy and become recognized experts in the field of wearable robotics.